Riveting machine



June 20, 1933.

A. u. KERNS RIVETING MACHINE Filed Feb. i5, 1932 Y fw/Q TTORNEYS.

Patented June 20, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RIVETING MACHINE Application filed February 15, 1932. Serial No. 593,175.

My invention relates to riveting machines and more particularly to portable riveters used for applying rivets to companion parts in catenary construction in the general manner described in my pending application for U. S. Letters Patent, Serial No. 469,803, filed July 22, 1930.

In the erection of overhead electric supply lines for a railway, clamps are commonly employed for the suspension of trolley wires, and it has been found desirable to use rivets of ductile material for joining such clamps together about the wires. 'Io apply such rivets it is important that the tool be of light and compact construction, preferably capable of being operated by a single per son, and that the tool be adapted to clamp firmly the companion parts to be. riveted xwhile forming the rivet and causing its heads to be pressed against such parts. It is also desirable that the tool be adapted to form one end of the rivet by a spinning movement of a. forming die while the opposite preformed end of the rivet is held against rotation.

Accordingly, the object of this invention is to provide a riveting machine or tool of this nature further characterized by powerdriven mechanism for imparting to the forming die combined rotary and translatory motion such as to press the rivet heads in firm clamping engagement with the parts to be joined together. While the riveter of my invention is especially adapted for use on trolley wire clamps as aforementioned, it is also capable of many other uses7 and characterized by the other advantages, as will be more fully apparent from the description hereinafter of one embodimentor example of the invention, the description having Vreference to the accompanying drawing, whereof:

Fig. I represents a plan view of a riveting '7 machine of .my invention.

Fig. II represents a side elevation of the same, with certain of the parts shown in cross-section, showing the machine as it is ap lied to trolley wire clamps.

1g. IIIrepresents a cross-section of the same, taken as indicated by the lines IIIn III of Figs. I and II.

As shown in the drawing, the riveting machine is applied in a horizontal position to opposing apertured clamp members 1 55 which grip between them a pair of trolley wires 2. A hollow soft metal rivet is designated at 3, and, as shown in Fig. II, this rivet is provided with a preformed head 4, and is inserted within the apertured clamp 60 members preparatory to the application of theriveting machine. The riveting machine comprises generally a stationary element 5, in the form of a yoke frame which is adapted to straddle the parts to be riveted; 65 a clamping die 6, serving to engage the pre formed head 4 at one end of the rivet 3 and to hold firmly the parts to be riveted; and a forming die 7 serving to expand the unformed tubular end 8 of the rivet to make a 79 head thereon.

The forming die 7 is preferably made of hardened steel, and has a conical portion 9 with an annular depression 10 surrounding its base, by means of which the unformed 75 end 8 of the rivet is expanded or upset and then firmly pressed against the adjacent clamp member 1. The forming die 7 is provided with a squareslot 11 which accommodates a correspondingly shaped extension 80 12 at the end of a driving spindle 13.

At that end 14 of the yoke frame 5 in which the forming die 7 is accommodated, there is a screw-threaded opening 15 in which corresponding threads 16 on the eX- 85 terior surface of the forming die are engaged. At the opening 15 in the yoke frame 5, an annular bushing 17 is provided. The companion parts 1 to be riveted are held in place against the bushing 17 by means of the clamping die 6. The clamping die 6 is formed with a conical projection 18 which is adapted to enter the preformed head 4 of the hollow rivet 3, forcing this head of the rivet together with the parts 1 toward the 95 bushing 17.

At that end 19 of the yoke frame in which the clamping die 6 is accommodated, there is provided a threaded opening 20 in which an externally threaded sleeve 21 is engaged,

ing through an opening in the sleeve 21 affords a convenient means ot adjusting thev clamping die 6 to its proper position. Vhen the handle 25 is turned, the sleeve 21 is caused to rotate, and as the sleeve is advanced or withdrawn, the clamping die 6 is likewiseY advanced or withdrawn, but at twice the speed of the sleeve.

' In applying the riveting machine to overhead wires, the clamp handle 25 is turned to withdraw the clamping die 6 and to enable the yoke frame to straddle the parts 1 to be riveted. Thereafter the clamp handle 25 is turned in the opposite direction-so that the clamping die 6 enters the preformed head 4 of the rivet 3, presses the parts to be riveted against the bushing 17 at the opposite end of the yoke frame 5, and maintains the rivet 3 against rotation.

Bolted to the end 14 of the yoke .trame 5 are a pair of flat plates 26 spaced apart in parallel relation and housing between them the driving spindle 13. The plates 26' are odset at their ends, as shown at 27 in Fig. I, to engage projecting lugs 2S on the head 29 of a pressure cylinder 30. The plates 26 are also bolted to the lugs 23 sothat the 'pressure cylinder 3() is maintained in fixed relation to the yoke frame The pressure cylinder 30 is provided at its opposite .end with a head 31v screwed thereon and having an inlet passage-32 for the pressure medium, which may constitute compressed air, hydraulic, steam or other power. lVithin the cylinder 30 there is a piston 33 having 'a piston head 34 screwed thereon and further secured by a bolt The piston head 34 'is normally urged by a helical spring 36 toward the cylinder head 31. In the present example the piston head 34 is made up of two fiat elements 37 and 38 secured together' by bolts and'engaging between them a packing ring 39. The piston 33 is of hollow tubular construction having an internal spiral thread 40 within which corresponding spiral threads 41 on the driving spindle 13 are engaged. To vprevent the piston 33 Jfrom rotating within-the cylinder 30, the former is provided with a projection having a guide wheel 43 secured thereon by a Cotter pin 4l. As shown in Fig. III, the guide wheel 43 engages surfaces -15 at the opening in the head 29 of the pressure cylinder 30.

Near the square extension 12 of the driving spindle 13, a collar 45 is formed on the spindle. The collar 45 engages ball bearings 46 which are held in place on the yoke frame 5 by flat plates 47. Accordingly, the thrust on the driving spindle 13, caused by movement of the piston 33, is taken care of at the ball bearings 46 so that pressure is relieved at the areas where the threads 16 of the forming die 7 engage within the threaded opening. 15 of the yoke frame 5. Y

The operation of the riveting machine is as follows: When the pressure medium enters the cylinder 30, it forces the piston head 34 against the pressure of the spring 36, which in turn forces the piston 33 towards the yoke frame 5. This movement of the piston 33, which is held against rotation in the manner described above, imparts rotary movement to the driving spindle 13, the latter acting as a screw and being rotated in a clockwise direction. The movement of the driving spindle 13 imparts combined rotary and translatory movement to the forming die 7 and causes the latter to enter the unformed end 8 of the rivet 3 and to upset the same with iirm pressure, securely pressing the head thus formed against the adjacent clamp member 1. The pitch of the threads 16 as compared with Y the larger spiral threads 41 01"' the driving spindle 13 may be so proportioned as to cause a full stroke ofv the piston head 34 to be sutlicient to secure the necessary riveting pressure at the forming die 7.

After the rivet 3 has been formed, the forming die 7 is disengaged therefrom by closing an inlet and release valve in the line leading to the cylinder 30, which allows the piston head 34 to return to normal position under the influence of the spring 36, and thereafter the clamp handle 25 is turned to disengage the clamping die 6.

From the above description it will be noted that the riveting machine of my invention may be operated a hand tool by a single person. Vhen the machine has been clamped by turning the handle 25, with the machine mounted at the proper point of application along the trolley wires 2, the weight of the machine is carried on the trolley wires, and the operator may use one hand to steady the machine at the yoke frame 5 having the other hand free to operate a lvalve at the inlet side of the pressure cylinder 30.

The simultaneous spinning movement and pressure exerted by the Vforming die 7 causes the heads of the rivets 3 to be firmly pressed against the opposite sides of the companion parts 1 irrespective of irregularities of manufacture which may cause the surfaces upon which the rivets heads bear to be out of parallelism.

lhile I have described one form which the riveting machine or tool of my invention may take, itwill `be apparent that the instrumentalities selected forperforming the various functions of the machine may be considerably varied and that the tool may be applied to many otherl purposes than the particular one here selected as an eX- ample of the practice of the invention, all without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A riveting machine comprising a frame adapted to .straddle the parts to be riveted, means thereon for clamping said parts together, said means including a clamping die adapted to engage one end of a rivet, an additional die for forming the other end of the rivet, and a pressure cylinder on said frame for imparting rotary and translatory motion to said forming die.

2. A riveting machine comprising a yoke frame, a clamping die movable thereon and. adapted to penetrate a preformed head of a hollow rivet and to hold the same against rotation, a forming die opposite said clamping die, and a pressure cylinder on said frame for imparting rotary and translatory motion to said forming die.

3. A riveting machine comprising a yoke frame, a clamping die movable thereon and held against rotation, said clamping die being adapted to engage a preformed rivet head and to press the parts to be riveted against said yoke frame, a forming die opposite said clamping die, and a pressure cylinder on said frame for imparting rotary and translatory motion to said forming die.

4. A riveting machine comprising a frame adapted to straddle the parts to be riveted, means on said frame for clamping said parts together, a die for forming the rivet, a driving spindle for imparting a screw motion to said forming die relative to said frame, a pressure cylinder on said frame, and a pist0n in said cylinder for rotating said spindle.

5. A riveting machine comprising a frame adapted to straddle the parts to be riveted, means on said frame for clamping said parts together, a die for forming the rivet, a screw-threaded driving spindle for rotating said forming die, a pressure cylinder on said frame, and a piston in said cylinder having threads engaging said spindle.

6. A riveting machine comprising a frame adapted to straddle the parts to be riveted and having a screw-threaded opening, means on said frame for clamping said parts together at said opening, said means including a die adapted to hold one end of the rivet against rotation, a die for forming the other end of the rivet, said forming die being eX- ternally threaded to engage within said screw-threaded opening in the frame, a spindle for rotating said forming die, and means for rotating said spindle, whereby said forining die is forced towards the rivet.

7. A portable riveting tool comprising a yoke frame adapted to straddle apertured parts to be riveted, means for clamping said parts together against one end of said yoke frame including a die adapted to press against a preformed end of a rivet within said apertured parts and to hold the rivet against rotation, an additional die for forming the other end of the rivet, and a powerdriven element for concurrently imparting rotary and translator-y motion to said forming die.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Altoona, Pennsylvania, this fourth day of February, 1932.

ADIN U. KERNS. 

